Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-02-05
Prohibition in the Legislature.
Memphis Appeal.

all legislators to deal with. Whatever
will tend in any way to do this deserves
encouragement and should have the
countenance OF every good citizen. But
force can never do the work of eduea-
tion-moral suasion-nor can Il great
virtue be knocked into any mans life
by policeman's club. A good excise
law we'll enforced is worth more than
all the prohibitory Legislation ever de-
vised. In every State Legislature the
cause Of temperance has been greatly
injured by the fanatics who intemper-
ately advocate temperance. Every
man who dares to doubt the infallibility
OF their wisdom is called the friend oi
whisky and intemperance. This fanat-
iclsm has developed itself IN the Ten
nessee Legislature, but it seems Henry
j. Lynn AMI Joe Montedonco, the two
Senators from this county, and who are
known Tor their temperance and sobri
ETY., have thrown themselves as bull
warks, not to stay the cause OF temper
ance, but to check the tide OF fanati-
cism and that hasty and precipitate
legislation which has been so damaging
to the cause of temperance. Senator
Montedonico in the debate on Tuesday
planted himself squarely on the plat
form of the last National Democratic
Convention, which says. We oppose
sumptuary laws which vex the citizens
and interfere with individual liberty"
What man shall wear, what he shall
eat and drink, what sort OF vehicle he
shall ride in, pertain exclusively to the
personal freedom of the citizen. What
Il man shall eat or drink is an unaliena-
BILE right which neither constitution nor
law can take from him. Majorities
cannot deprive man OF the natural
right OF self defense, nor can majorties
deprive him of eating or drinking what
he pleases. 1t is the FOOLS argument
to prohibit because some use to excess !;
the same logic would prohibit the sale
OF food because so many die of dyspep-
sia induced by glulony. Ii a saloon
keeper keeps disordery house-sells
to minors or habitua drunkards or in
any other way violates the law, let him
be punished; If man becomes intoxi-
Gated, let him be punished. But in the
hope OF reaching both it is useless to re-
sort to aspecies of legislation which has
never failed to increase the evil. Pro-
hbitlon is false in principle; 1t has fail
ed wherever it has been tried; it en-
courages secret drinking and it puts a
premium on hypocrisy and lying. AS
well attempt to stop Niagara by statute
or abolish lightning by act OF legisla-
tion as to get rid of intemperance by
arbitrary laws. Tobacco is injurious,
coffee has wrecked millions Of nervous
systems, morphine is as terrible to the
human family as an army with banners,
and why permit the use OF tobacco,
coffee and morphine and prohibit the
lesser evil? The. practical temperance
men of Tennessee are decidedly in fav-
or of high license, because absolute
prohibition is an absolute lmpossibility
while high license has proved to be
possible, feasible and equitable. In
dealing with this question the Tennes.
see Legislature should be guided by
the lamp of experience, and the light
from hatlamp shows that prohibition
is not practical remedy for the evils
of the liquor traffic. The recent mes
sage of the Governor of Missouri shows
that the high license law continues to
work most effectively and satisfactorily
in its double capacity OF an agent o
temperance and source of revenue
Since it went into effect the number o
saloons in the State, although popnla-
, tion is steadily increasing, has fallen
from 1901 to 1880, a decrease of one
fifth. There is now in the State one
saloon to each $40 persons on the aver
age; while at st. Louis commentator
observes, Maine has one to each 500 o
, her population. Still more marked Is
{ the effect Upon the public revenue, as
r shown by the following statement from
the st. Louis Republican
Under the old low license system
t 3601 dram shops yielded an annual rev.
} enue OF $547 ,320; under the new sys
tenn, 1881 dram shops yield 81, ,841 ,26S
} So that one-fifth fewer saloons ylelC
three times as much revenue. The
J minimum license fixed by county
courts is $3.50; the maximum, $1,000
> and if the saloon is in town or city
the authorities can add as much NOR,
) as they please to. In some towns il
' the State the total licenses paid by the
saloon is $500.
! Itis now recommended in Missouri
' that the law be amended SO that NJ
8 liquor can be sold at drug stores o.
anywhere outside OF the licensed sa
! looms, the object being to concentrate
: the tax entirely upon the business. NJ
t one who considers this result, cutting
0 off OF 20 per cent OF the saloons, includ
! ing the most Objectionable portion O
0 them, the decrease of drinking and OF
J, intemperance, and the direct addition O
0 more than 81 900. 600 to the public rev
: enue, paid by the traffic without bur
j. dening the ordinary taxpayers, and thei
r contrasts it with system which make
+ the sale OF liquor practically free an,
" relieves the seller from even the small
license fees exacted in most communi
. ties, can fail to feel astonishment tina
, this excellent method OF regulation
), should not be adopted by every State il
the Union. High license has been
IS success in Savannah, Ga. The Counci
e of that eitv increased the liquor licens
1t from s115 to 500, a great mistake